Improvement in machines for converting wood or other fibrous material into pulp



- TENT ErrcE.

JAMES BRIDGE, v0E AUGUSTA, AINE IMPROVEMENT 1M MACHINEsPoR coNvEPmNewoon 0R o'THER EIBRous MATERIAL INT0 PULP.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 115,274, dated May 30,1871.

` f i To allpcrsons` to whomthcsepresents may come:

:Be it known thatI, `JAiMEs BRIDGE, of Augusta, of the county ofKennebee and State y of Maine, have invented a new and useful or 1 1Improved Machine for the Conversion of Wood f or various 4other FibrousMaterial into Pulp for the manufacture of paperor papier-march;

i and I do hereby declare the same to be fully `described in thefollowing specification and represented in the accompanying drawing, of

"Vwwich- "Figure l is atop view, Fig. 2 a front elevaabove-mentionedparts, and their arrangement `and mode of operation, l shall nowproceed-to g p explain' with reference to the aforesaid draw.

" ing, `in whiehl- A is a stationary millstone,havin g a plane orchanneled upper surface. V B is a metal or Jwooden case, inclosingandextending above such stone. Gis a sleeve Xed in the stone,watertight, and projecting some distance l l `lboveitsgrinding-surface.` The shaft Lof the wheel passes throughthe sleeve, thestep b of such shaftbeing fastened to alever, c, arranged j undert-hestone. The objectof the sleeve is to aid in forming a reservoir forthewater used i in grinding, `which passes upward through the sleeve ina conduit, F, arranged therein, as

shown, and discharges into the space d, between it and the inner rim Eof the wheel, from whence it. must `flow outward, carrying the y pulpwith it. The sleeve also serves to pre# vent the escape of the water andpulp into the space in the stone through which the shaft,

. 3 passes. `D is the outerandE the inner rim of the wheel,theylbeingconcentric.

Gr and H l. f `are spiders attaching the wheel to its shaft.

\ and L are inclined plates or buckets confined "to theouter and innerrimsV of fthe wheel, and l arranged between them, as shown. The loweredges of 1 such plates should be `as near the f surface of the stone asthey can safel y be without touching. The office of such plates is to ldraw over the surface of the stone solid wood, partially disintegratedwood, straw, rags, or other material for pulp. They are adjusted at suchan angle that the substance to be operated upon will pass around withthem and be pressed down by them upon the stone while the wheel may bein revolution. M andN are double plates or slides fastened to the outerand inner rims of the wheel. Between these latter, pieces of wood f, ofsuitable shape, either sawed `or split, are placed. They will settle bytheir own gravity until they touch the stone, and will continue tosettle as fast as they4 wear away, their inclination being such that thefriction of the stone will have a tendency to draw the wood towarditself. A brace-bar, O, arranged at the bottom ofthe plate N, should bestrong enough to hold the wood firmly to the face of the stone.

The operation of the slider, if used in connection with the bucketsorwsingle plates, will be as follows, viz: The disintegrated wood orother material of insufficient flneness for pulp which may pass underthe buckets will be caught and held firmly to the face of the stone bythe blocks or pieces of wood until the substance ma-y be reduced topulp. Thelplates M N mayvalso'be used independently ofthe bucket, theiroffice then" being to hold solid wood of suit-able shape firmly to thegrindingsurface, it being drawn over the stone by the 1motion of thewheel and pressed down upon the stone by the weight of the wheel and theinclination ofthe plates, also by further pressure, if desirable, ashereinafter mentioned. The/upper box g, in which the shaft runs, isfree, so that the wheel can rise should any unyielding substance getunder it. As it, with its rigid partitions, passes over the material tobe ground, it will have a tendency to rise and consequently there willbe no heating of the lower box, which is often troublesome where a stonerevolves with its shaft. Generally no other weight than that of thewheel itself will be needed for pressure upon the surface of the stone;but should more be desired it can conveniently be applied and graduatedby a lever, T, arranged to press upon the head of the shaft.

R is a perforated standard, through which passes a screwbolt, h,connected with the steplever of the wheel-shaft. A nut on the upper sMinera end ot' thc screw-bolt enables an attendant to adjust at pleasurethe distance 'between the Wheel and the stone. S is a beam, to which theupper end ot the shaft is attached. It may be one of the beams ot' thebuilding in which the machine may be placed. The supports are notnecessarily connected with the machine. The lever T, resting on the topof the shalt, may have a rope, K, attached, for the purpose ot' applyingpressure or Weight to the lever when necessary. P P are aperturesthrough the case of the Wheel, through which the pulp escapes. Whensolid Wood is ground no strainers will be necessary in the orice; butwhen partly-disintegrated substances are ground one or more strainerswill be desirable. 'lhe wheel may be driven either by a belt applied toa pulley, U, tired on its shaft, or by gearing; but in either case thereshould be sufficient play to allow a rise or fall of two or three inchesot' the Wheel.

The advantages to be derived from this inaehinc over any other known toine are, first, the greatly-increased speed which may safely be adoptedfor the wheels in comparison with what may be employed in a machineusing a. revolving stone, there being no danger of bursting a stationarystone. Second, economy in cost. Then movable, agrinding-stone, if ofordinary thickness, cannot sately be used after it is halt' Worn out;but when stationary and properly bedded, the stone will be equally et'-fectivc as at first when one inch thick or even oi' less thickness.rllhird, the cost of stationary ystone and machinery, as described, willgenerally be very much less than that of a revolving stone and itsmachinery. Fourth, the power as rags, straw, partly-disintegrated Wood,dto. My machine will serve as a valuable substitute for the pulp-millsin ordinary use in paper nianutactories. Sixth, a series of doubleplates or slides similar to M and N is a convenient device for applyingsolid Wood to a grindingsurface, particularly as the use of all Weights,springs, and other modes of pressure is avoided.

Having thus described my improved machine for the manufacture ofpaper-pulp, what I claim therein as my invention is as follows, viz:

l. The combination of the stationary stone A and its rim B and sleeve Gwith the rotary Wheel provided with the inclined bucketsK L, or such,and double-inclined plates M N, or the latter only, all being arrangedand combined substantially in manner and to operate as described.

2. The Wheel as made of the two rims, the single buckets or inclinedplates, and the double inclined plates, all arranged and applied to ashaft, as set forth.

3. The arrangement and combination of the Water-induct With the sleeveC, the stone A, audits rim B/ furnished with an educt, all being asdescribed.

. 4. The stone as provided with the rim and the sleeve, as set forth.

5. The combination ot1 one or more Wooden slides, as described, with theinclined plate, bucket, and Wheel combined, and to operate with thestationary stone, as described, for the purpose of reducing to paper-pnlp yielding or soft as Well as solid substances.

6. The combination of buckets or plates and slides, each assistingtlleother in disintegrating sott and yielding substances, including cottonrags, straw, and partly-disintegrated Wood shavings, &c.

' JAMES BRIDGE. [1.. s] Witnesses:

R. W. BLACK, S. LANCASTER.

